What Flight Would You Do?

[kes601]

Delta changed our flight numbers (no times as of yet) and for whatever reason we can now change to any flight we want without a charge, so.....

Coming from the east coast (flight from FL, live in VA) and having not been to the west coast in 30 some years what would you do (please don't offer flying into SNA as an option, we are on Delta and prefer a direct flight to LAX):

1. 7:00a-ish flight from MCO to LAX. We would likely stay at the Hyatt in MCO the night before.
2. 7:00p-ish flight the night before from MCO to LAX. We would try to add a night on the front end of our Villas of Disneyland Hotel reservation, but if not we would stay at the Hyatt or Courtyard next to LAX and then schedule a car to pick us up the next morning.

The way I see it, the early morning flight has the advantage of less likely to be delayed (at least that is my experience with early vs late flights), but the evening flight allows us to sort of get a normal west coast night in our systems before heading to DL for the first time (ever).

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

I fly from Europe to LAX every year. I can only fly to LAX. The flight time for me is 10 hours with an 8 hour time difference.

For the last number of years I arrive into LAX in the evening time LA time and its about 8pm when I get to my hotel. I just have something to eat and an early night and then I wake up refreshed in the morning with no jet lag.

 

[kes601]

I fly from Europe to LAX every year. I can only fly to LAX. The flight time for me is 10 hours with an 8 hour time difference.

For the last number of years I arrive into LAX in the evening time LA time and its about 8pm when I get to my hotel. I just have something to eat and an early night and then I wake up refreshed in the morning with no jet lag.

Thanks for the reply. We would get in around 9:45p I think. We are currently leaning that direction.

 

[eticketplease]

Delta changed our flight numbers (no times as of yet) and for whatever reason we can now change to any flight we want without a charge, so.....

Coming from the east coast (flight from FL, live in VA) and having not been to the west coast in 30 some years what would you do (please don't offer flying into SNA as an option, we are on Delta and prefer a direct flight to LAX):

1. 7:00a-ish flight from MCO to LAX. We would likely stay at the Hyatt in MCO the night before.
2. 7:00p-ish flight the night before from MCO to LAX. We would try to add a night on the front end of our Villas of Disneyland Hotel reservation, but if not we would stay at the Hyatt or Courtyard next to LAX and then schedule a car to pick us up the next morning.

The way I see it, the early morning flight has the advantage of less likely to be delayed (at least that is my experience with early vs late flights), but the evening flight allows us to sort of get a normal west coast night in our systems before heading to DL for the first time (ever).

I can see both ways working out.

I would probably select door #2.

I don’t think you are going to adjust that quickly so you will most likely be up early and can catch your ride to Disneyland, check-in and hopefully get some of the early entry time.

Also I haven’t looked but the points are most likely cheaper at those airport hotels vs the Hyatt in MCO

 

[kes601]

Also I haven’t looked but the points are most likely cheaper at those airport hotels vs the Hyatt in MCO

There is only one available room currently on points at VDH and would require a room change after the first night and is 26 points. I was able to snag a room at Courtyard by LAX for $200 after tax so not bad. We would definitely be up early (we get up early anyway) and would book a car service for 5:00a or 5:30a.

 

[eticketplease]

There is only one available room currently on points at VDH and would require a room change after the first night and is 26 points. I was able to snag a room at Courtyard by LAX for $200 after tax so not bad. We would definitely be up early (we get up early anyway) and would book a car service for 5:00a or 5:30a.

Sorry I meant Marriott or Hyatt points for the offsite hotel.

But if those points are cheaper than cash generally is as well.

$200 is not bad as I believe the MCO Hyatt averages around $350

 

[eticketplease]

Also since you said you are flying delta do you have one of the Amex cards?

Delta.com/stays you get a $100 credit if you have gold and $150 credit if you have platinum it is a newish perk they introduced when raising the AF

 

[kes601]

Sorry I meant Marriott or Hyatt points for the offsite hotel.

Gotcha......using DCV math the 26 points is equivalent to $572 (26 points x $22...OTU point price). Looks like the transient tax would be about $73 out of pocket.

 

[kes601]

Also since you said you are flying delta do you have one of the Amex cards?

Delta.com/stays you get a $100 credit if you have gold and $150 credit if you have platinum it is a newish perk they introduced when raising the AF

We do not. Thanks for the heads up though.

 

[eticketplease]

Gotcha......using DCV math the 26 points is equivalent to $572 (26 points x $22...OTU point price). Looks like the transient tax would be about $73 out of pocket.

BTW they lowered OTUP to $20 but you will still come out ahead staying offsite that first night

 

[sam_gordon]

Delta changed our flight numbers (no times as of yet) and for whatever reason we can now change to any flight we want without a charge,

Why do you think you get to change flights for free? Thats based on time I thought. I think Delta's current policy is a 60 minute or more change to departure or arrival time gets you the free change, not changing flight numbers.

 

[kes601]

Why do you think you get to change flights for free? Thats based on time I thought. I think Delta's current policy is a 60 minute or more change to departure or arrival time gets you the free change, not changing flight numbers.

Because when I go to change the flight every flight says $0.

 

[eticketplease]

Why do you think you get to change flights for free? Thats based on time I thought. I think Delta's current policy is a 60 minute or more change to departure or arrival time gets you the free change, not changing flight numbers.

Who cares why? The OP stated they are able to do so and was asking for suggestions.

Delta changed our flight numbers (no times as of yet) and for whatever reason we can now change to any flight we want without a charge, so.....

 

[EACarlson]

Why do you think you get to change flights for free? Thats based on time I thought. I think Delta's current policy is a 60 minute or more change to departure or arrival time gets you the free change, not changing flight numbers.

A flight number change is considered a "Major Schedule Change" according to DOT regs as interpreted by Delta. Delta will give you a full refund if you ask for it after that. Usually a number change indicates a plane change. If it was only a time change, it would require a certain time difference that varies by airline.

OP, whatever you decide to do, wait until Monday to do it. This is Schedule Change Saturday for Delta, today and tomorrow everything will be in flux and should all have settled out by Monday morning. Last thing you want to do is change your flight to something else that then the system realizes was actually cancelled in this change.

 

[sam_gordon]

Who cares why? The OP stated they are able to do so and was asking for suggestions.

Because if the OP was incorrect in their assumption (they weren't, I was), that can cause headaches when trying to make the change.

 

[kes601]

A flight number change is considered a "Major Schedule Change" according to DOT regs as interpreted by Delta. Delta will give you a full refund if you ask for it after that. Usually a number change indicates a plane change. If it was only a time change, it would require a certain time difference that varies by airline.

OP, whatever you decide to do, wait until Monday to do it. This is Schedule Change Saturday for Delta, today and tomorrow everything will be in flux and should all have settled out by Monday morning. Last thing you want to do is change your flight to something else that then the system realizes was actually cancelled in this change.

Thanks for this. I appreciate the explanation as to why the free change is possible. I was planning to wait the weekend out before changing it as my assumption was the flight number changes were proceeding a time change. They've changed times up to a week before our flights (3 one way flights).

 

[eticketplease]

OP, whatever you decide to do, wait until Monday to do it. This is Schedule Change Saturday for Delta, today and tomorrow everything will be in flux and should all have settled out by Monday morning. Last thing you want to do is change your flight to something else that then the system realizes was actually cancelled in this change.

This is scary. Do all airlines have something like this where it is safer to wait until Monday?

 

[sam_gordon]

A flight number change is considered a "Major Schedule Change" according to DOT regs as interpreted by Delta. Delta will give you a full refund if you ask for it after that. Usually a number change indicates a plane change. If it was only a time change, it would require a certain time difference that varies by airline.

I didn't know that. Thanks for pointing it out. DL had changed our flight numbers last weekend for a trip in June. The times we had weren't great, but cheap. Thanks to this post, we're now travelling 7 hours earlier (preferred) for the same price!

 

[EACarlson]

This is scary. Do all airlines have something like this where it is safer to wait until Monday?

Somewhat, generally not as bad as Delta, where it's pretty much every Saturday. American is usually once a month, and United is just screwy. I have a work conference in Denver in June, for a couple months I watched my flight until my company gave me the ok to book it. It went from $475 on Friday to $1,800 on Saturday and Sunday to $475 on Monday 6 out of 7 weekends.

 

[kes601]

Somewhat, generally not as bad as Delta, where it's pretty much every Saturday. American is usually once a month, and United is just screwy. I have a work conference in Denver in June, for a couple months I watched my flight until my company gave me the ok to book it. It went from $475 on Friday to $1,800 on Saturday and Sunday to $475 on Monday 6 out of 7 weekends.

Just to share my experience from last Saturday. At some point in the evening I opened up Flight View Plus on my iPhone and it told me none of the Delta flights existed (I opened it to add a Spirit flight next month).

I then went onto the Delta site and looked at all of "My Trips". The flight numbers were still what they had originally been. I then searched for the flights and sure enough they all had new flight numbers.

By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around we had been moved to the new flight numbers. I lost seats on one connecting flight so had to select them again.

When I was presented with the new flight numbers I was given the option to cancel or accept. So I accepted, but now I am able to change for $0. As I said, I will wait it out until Monday or Tuesday before we change anything since I saw the weirdness last weekend.